Backing up into camping space

Canyoneer

For the life of us we cannot get our 2021 320 CSS to backup straight.  With all wheels aligned straight the slightest reverse motion and the trailer wanders one way or the other, and steering corrections don't seem to help.  We tow it with a 2020 Honda Ridgeline.   Any suggestions, are extremely welcome.  

TourDeForth

If everything looks normal I would suspect the trailers electric brakes. When you’re ready to back up, stop. Turn off your trailer battery and disconnect the tow vehicle plug. Now, back up slowly, correct as necessary if it’s easier to back up it may be something to do with your trailer brakes.

Bayliss

@Canyoneer, the suggestions by @TourDeForth are good for troubleshooting whether the brakes are the issue.  If that is not it, I have attached some towing and backing tips I put together some time ago.  I do not recall if I have posted them previously, but now is as good a time as any.  I have added a few graphics that I found online to depict a couple of the key "backing" points.

In response to your specific question, take a look at the last few bullet points on that document.  If you are fairly new to towing/backing a short trailer, you will find that backing in to a driveway or campsite can be significantly different than when backing a longer trailer.  When I purchased my T@B 320 S, I downsized from a 30' 5th wheel.  I quickly learned that unlike a larger/longer trailer, the T@B only requires very small turning movements when backing.  Of course, a good "spotter" to help direct you is always helpful as well.

Also, if you do not currently use them, I highly recommend adding blind-spot mirrors to your tow vehicle's side mirrors (see the bottom of page 2.)  Not only are they extremely helpful while towing, especially in heavy traffic, they make backing much easier, because they provide a larger viewing area of the sides and rear of your tow vehicle and trailer.

Marceline

Is this a new problem with a T@B that you've had a while? 

Or is this a problem that you've had since you acquired it.

If it's the latter, I would say that if you're using to backing up longer trailers, the T@B is a lot different. I had a boat on a trailer for many years before I had the T@B and I could back down a launch ramp very efficiently. I made a complete fool of myself the first year I had the T@B. Go slow and make very small corrections. 

Cherokee

Try moving the steering wheel weaving back & forth while you backup - I've used this method to back up my trailer for over 100 yards at a time   

Sharon_is_SAM

Go slowly and make small changes.  After 8 years, we still struggle😂

WayneW

The best advice I ever got for backing up a trailer is to put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. As you back up, watch the trailer in the side mirrors. If you want the trailer to go left, move the hand on the bottom of the steering wheel to the left. Same for the right. Put a simpler way, move your bottom hand the direction you want the trailer to go. Small movements work best. 

Then find an empty large parking lot on a Saturday morning and back all over the place. The short T@G trailers are much harder to control than larger ones. Good luck!  You’ll get the hang of it. 

tabiphile

Much like watching at a boat launch, sitting around in a campground and watching folks park can be extremely entertaining. We refer to it as a marriage test. Some couples manage to land their rig and preserve a bit of dignity. Others may lose theirs in the process. Small trailers are the absolute hardest to maneuver so practice, tiny adjustments and a lot of patience are necessary. Sadly, some hulking dude pulling a 30 foot trailer behind a bohawkin big truck can land more elegantly. Pull through sites are the best!

pthomas745

I've had my trailer for 8 years now, and I still am lousy at backing up.  Once I stopped caring about being lousy at backing up, and providing entertainment for the campground, I got much better at it.  

Go slow.  Go forward.  Back up again a little.  Get out and look.  Pull forward.  Back up a little again.  Get out and look.  Take your time.  Drive your own trailer.  It does get a bit easier...but every time I go out, I have to teach myself all over again!

ScottG

tabiphile said:

... 

We refer to it as a marriage test. 

...

Too funny. I confess that backing my T@B solo is far less stressful than backing it with "help"...  ;-)

(It's a good workout, too, as I spend a lot of time GOALing!)

marleecamps

Best tip that has helped me is "steer into the problem".  Meaning, if the rear is incorrectly curving to the left, turn your steering wheel to the left to correct.  And, as others have said, it's okay to pull forward as needed to correct your trajectory.  

gotoman1969

Some great tips. definitely going to start using them. Getting used to this short trailer has been crazy.

tphaggerty

Besides putting your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and pushing in the direction you want the BACK of the trailer to go, another thing that helps a lot is to lower your side view mirrors so that you can see the tires. It’s very hard to see minor changes in the direction of the actual trailer, but very easy to spot it when you are looking at the tires.

it also helps to have a target, this goes hand-in-hand with lowering the mirror In that you can put a target somewhere behind your tires that you can see with the lowered mirrors and then drive your tires to the target.

Before you back up, get out of your tow vehicle and walk around the campsite and think about the path/plan you are going to use to back up into the campsite. This has proven to be the best way for me to match what I’m seeing in the side mirrors with what is actually out there.

Finally, make sure that if someone is helping you, you both agree what your signals and words mean in advance. The best option imo is to base directions on what/where you want the back of the trailer to go. So “right” means to swing the back of the trailer to the right. We often call each other so that I can clearly hear her instructions. 

Marceline

tphaggerty said:

it also helps to have a target, this goes hand-in-hand with lowering the mirror In that you can put a target somewhere behind your tires that you can see with the lowered mirrors and then drive your tires to the target.

Before you back up, get out of your tow vehicle and walk around the campsite and think about the path/plan you are going to use to back up into the campsite. This has proven to be the best way for me to match what I’m seeing in the side mirrors with what is actually out there.

Finally, make sure that if someone is helping you, you both agree what your signals and words mean in advance. The best option imo is to base directions on what/where you want the back of the trailer to go. So “right” means to swing the back of the trailer to the right. We often call each other so that I can clearly hear her instructions. 

This is good advice. I lay out a plastic patio mat in the site as a landing strip. Having a really specific target does help.

I don't much like someone trying to tell me which way to go. It always seems to lead to confusion. If someone insists on helping me, I tell them to yell "stop" if I'm about to hit whatever obstacle is in the site (a tree, boulder, or whatever). 

Bill&Suze

Thanks for the tip on lowering the mirrors, that's a great idea. Now I just have to remember it six months from now 

SLJ

If it's a tight spot or I want it at a certain angle I carry a couple of driveway markers that I place first to mark where I exactly want the corners of the back of the camper or to keep me from backing up too far. Easy to see them in the mirrors and I've gotten pretty good at getting it within a couple of inches that way.